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Secret Invasion: X-Men #1-4
Secret Invasion: X-Men
When the alien Skrull army attacks San Francisco, they do not expect the X-Men to realiate, but the Skrulls counter with a devious attack, and the X-Men must decide whether to save thousands or condone a genocide.
136 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
2 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Mike Carey
1,262 books2,970 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.
Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.
Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.
Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.
Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
July 13, 2016
Lame. Namby pamby art, story sucks, dialogue is stupid, too many characters, not enough screen time for each.
Also, no Mutants were Skrulls? None at all? Right.
Cyclops is a dick here as well, only Beast having a conscience stops worse things. Also, don't put Logan on covers when he's in the Savage Land wi New Avengers the whole time.
Waste of time, makes the Skrulls seem stupid and easily defeated. Just not worth reading. Tie in or not, totally inconsequential. Nothing about this will affect them at all...
Also, no Mutants were Skrulls? None at all? Right.
Cyclops is a dick here as well, only Beast having a conscience stops worse things. Also, don't put Logan on covers when he's in the Savage Land wi New Avengers the whole time.
Waste of time, makes the Skrulls seem stupid and easily defeated. Just not worth reading. Tie in or not, totally inconsequential. Nothing about this will affect them at all...
September 17, 2010
The writer on this graphic novel is Mike Carey and I have to say that I really enjoyed the plot of pitting the X-Men against the Skrulls and the Super- Skrulls, what is not to like about that? The basic backdrop of the story is that the Skrulls are planning on invading and dominating the planet Earth. The X-men are the only superheroes that stand in their way and that has been anticipated by the Skrull in charge, he is of the mind that he thought of all the possible scenarios under which they will do battle. The usual ensues; he is wrong we are saved and all is well on Earth except a few buildings leveled and streets torn up and destroyed: normal everyday stuff in the world of the superheroes.
The stuffing in the middle is the good part in this graphic novel. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good X-Men romp and I am not going to say that I don’t, but this was a well-conceived and thought-out plotline. I, as usual, will give no spoilers here, but the battle was fought on many levels and I enjoyed all the different subplots and action it brought with it. Carey mixed two of my favorites here with X-Men & Skrulls and didn’t drop the ball with the possibilities. That made the graphic novel for me. The artwork was excellent and it helped carry the emotion of both groups taking the plotline to a new level. It was great teamwork, Carey/Nord/ Sepulveda.
Anytime the Skrulls are in a graphic novel I don’t think you can wrong. The stories can go in so many different directions and they have been in so many different Marvel franchise comics over the years they are one of my favorite super villains. Do you know of any other graphic novels the Skrulls are in? Drop me a line and give me the titles, I would enjoy checking them out, thanks.
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The stuffing in the middle is the good part in this graphic novel. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good X-Men romp and I am not going to say that I don’t, but this was a well-conceived and thought-out plotline. I, as usual, will give no spoilers here, but the battle was fought on many levels and I enjoyed all the different subplots and action it brought with it. Carey mixed two of my favorites here with X-Men & Skrulls and didn’t drop the ball with the possibilities. That made the graphic novel for me. The artwork was excellent and it helped carry the emotion of both groups taking the plotline to a new level. It was great teamwork, Carey/Nord/ Sepulveda.
Anytime the Skrulls are in a graphic novel I don’t think you can wrong. The stories can go in so many different directions and they have been in so many different Marvel franchise comics over the years they are one of my favorite super villains. Do you know of any other graphic novels the Skrulls are in? Drop me a line and give me the titles, I would enjoy checking them out, thanks.
What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Facebook & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Gelati’s Store Tab on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
June 17, 2016
I loved the X-Men take on the Skrull invasion- very cool. I also really enjoyed the watercolour-style art, it was a very different take on the comic book genre. This graphic novel collects #1-4 of Secret Invasion X-Men, and has #250 of Fantastic Four with crossovers from SpiderMan, Captain America, and the X-Men . It was really fun to read an older original issue and compare the art and writing style of the then Skrull story to the more recent Secret Invasion Skrull story. The X-Men strategium in Secret Invasion was very cool as well . Overall a good read :)
May 11, 2017
Great
Was an awesome and entertaining read!
You should really read this!
I love the X-Men they're so cool!
Go read
Was an awesome and entertaining read!
You should really read this!
I love the X-Men they're so cool!
Go read
January 12, 2019
"Born with abilities beyond those of normal men, the mutant species has long been hated and feared by the humans around them. the mutant super heroes known as the X-Men are looking to change that, making the world safe for human and mutant alike"
The art felt like it would be soft to touch, I really liked it, beautiful...4 🌟
Great, the X-Men using their brains to take down the Skrulls with a virus, brilliant...2 1/2 🌟
Relevance to SI, 2 🌟 So overall for this TPB 3 🌟
The art felt like it would be soft to touch, I really liked it, beautiful...4 🌟
Great, the X-Men using their brains to take down the Skrulls with a virus, brilliant...2 1/2 🌟
Relevance to SI, 2 🌟 So overall for this TPB 3 🌟
March 16, 2021
This was an okay story, nothing incredible in my opinion; it was almost boring. The 250th issue of the FF4 though was really really fun to read, which is why I am giving it 3 stars instead of 2.
January 10, 2018
The X-Men have to fight of an invasion of shape-shifting Skrulls. I liked that there were a few "main" characters that were focused on instead of giving a little bit of time to each X-man. Perhaps it because I was introduced to the Skrulls in a Deadpool graphic novel, but I just can't take them seriously as a threat to humanity.
April 18, 2014
Most of the Secret Invasion tie-ins are short and simply show the event from a different POV, with little overall impact. This one is no different. However, I found it far more entertaining than I expected because it's not bogged down with the paranoia of "who can you trust?"
When the Skrull fleet descends on the US, the ships sent to San Francisco aren't expecting the X-Men. Unsurprisingly, the mutants fight back. What I found interesting was that they weren't automatically the superior fighting force. Often, the X-Men come across as so powerful that enemies present no challenge to them or the reader. Here, The Skrulls not only outnumber them, they have superskrull warriors (with stolen superhero powers of their own), and they have more advanced technology which includes resistance to mental assault by telepaths. So, the X-Men must rely on strategy, guts and guerrilla warfare to resist the invasion.
This trade has a lot of action, but also a fair number of scenes showing the opponents' responding to and orchestrating tactics. This is one of the few instances where I like Cyclops because he showed real leadership, even down to the tough decisions. Overall, I thought this tie-in was excellent despite not having an impact on the bigger picture. It wasn't essential but it was very satisfying, and demonstrated that wars are fought on many fronts. Highly recommended
When the Skrull fleet descends on the US, the ships sent to San Francisco aren't expecting the X-Men. Unsurprisingly, the mutants fight back. What I found interesting was that they weren't automatically the superior fighting force. Often, the X-Men come across as so powerful that enemies present no challenge to them or the reader. Here, The Skrulls not only outnumber them, they have superskrull warriors (with stolen superhero powers of their own), and they have more advanced technology which includes resistance to mental assault by telepaths. So, the X-Men must rely on strategy, guts and guerrilla warfare to resist the invasion.
This trade has a lot of action, but also a fair number of scenes showing the opponents' responding to and orchestrating tactics. This is one of the few instances where I like Cyclops because he showed real leadership, even down to the tough decisions. Overall, I thought this tie-in was excellent despite not having an impact on the bigger picture. It wasn't essential but it was very satisfying, and demonstrated that wars are fought on many fronts. Highly recommended
May 23, 2012
I'm not very good at distinguishing between some of the newer X-Men writers. Most of them do a pretty decent job, much better than the insipid Chris Claremont with his hokey dialogue and dated plots. Carey is on of the few that stands out for me. He does the impossible by making the mess that is the Secret Invasion storyline seem remotely interesting. Secret Invasion is still fairly uninspiring, it is nice that it's over. It's interesting, at least to me, to note many of the other recent mega events have left a lasting effect on the Marvel Universe that has had some sort of impact. This one has not and is best left forgotten.
The art in this series is well done and consistent. But it's almost ruined by the colorist. It looks like the art has all been dipped in blue and green dye, giving it a muddy washed out out look. Most notable are scenes depicting the city. Everything is a green and purple mess.
The art in this series is well done and consistent. But it's almost ruined by the colorist. It looks like the art has all been dipped in blue and green dye, giving it a muddy washed out out look. Most notable are scenes depicting the city. Everything is a green and purple mess.
October 15, 2013
This story was interesting and held my attention. I actually found the Skrulls far more interesting than the X-Men - maybe because there are so many mutants crammed into this tale that I stopped caring about them at all.
As an occasional X-Men fan (watched the 90's cartoon, read some of the 80's-90's comics, loved the movies), I didn't know who half of these characters were. I was also disappointed by the false advertising - the cover shows Wolverine & Phoenix, and the back cover promises every X-Man, but those two in particular are only included on one of the covers and never come into play. What that promise actually means is we get a lot of characters who I could care less about. Of those I recognized, Nightcrawler and Beast have the best stories.
The included story at the back from the 80's was a nice surprise, and though the tale itself is definitely showing its age, it was nice knowing who all the principles involved were.
As an occasional X-Men fan (watched the 90's cartoon, read some of the 80's-90's comics, loved the movies), I didn't know who half of these characters were. I was also disappointed by the false advertising - the cover shows Wolverine & Phoenix, and the back cover promises every X-Man, but those two in particular are only included on one of the covers and never come into play. What that promise actually means is we get a lot of characters who I could care less about. Of those I recognized, Nightcrawler and Beast have the best stories.
The included story at the back from the 80's was a nice surprise, and though the tale itself is definitely showing its age, it was nice knowing who all the principles involved were.
February 10, 2013
The Skrull invasion reaches San Francisco and is at first surprised/no match for the X-men. But the skrulls quickly recover by deploying their superskrulls and blackmail the X-men by threatining to kill thousends of SF-inhabitants. Nightcrawler is the main character in the developments. The question is who can keep their 'cool': the skrulls or the x-men, where the - as usual - fearsome leader Cyclops has his own means for blackmailing the skrulls.... Quite a nice story, it's more a seperate issue of the Secret Invasion and doesn't really add something to the main story (all takes place in SF, far from the main invasion and main protagonists), the grapichs are special - hazy, like a continues fog, they add up to the tension and sphere of the story. And Cyclops, he's great again, becoming my favorite X-men character.
October 30, 2014
Liked the quiet watercolor-effect of the drawing style, as well as the lack of paranoia that existed in the other Secret Invasions, where the superheroes don't know who to trust. Enjoyed seeing more glimpses into Cyclops' evolution as a character and the lengths that he will go to protect lives.
December 21, 2025
First time reading this tie in as I’m in the middle of a Secret Invasion reread, and it’s pretty interesting.
The X-Men, aside from Wolverine, are largely absent from the main Secret Invasion book, and this provides some insight. Most of the remaining mutants are in San Francisco at this point, and they are put on lockdown pretty quickly by the invading force.
This book actually provides a greater sense of the scale of the invasion than the main book did, in part because of the unique artwork of Cory Nord, MA Sepulveda, and Dave McCraig. Im unfamiliar with these artists, but I’ll have to keep an eye out for more from them. Their work could be a little too exaggerated at times for some, but I actually prefer it over the stiff artwork of the main book.
The story is more than just a simple tie-in as well. Cyclops and team are put into a pretty dire situation, and the strategy they resort to is one of heavy consequences. Unfortunately, I read a lot of X-Men from this era and I do not recall the decisions made here really being referenced in other book. Because of that, I do wish there was a little more of a coda or maybe some more internal narration of the characters grapple with the situation.
The X-Men, aside from Wolverine, are largely absent from the main Secret Invasion book, and this provides some insight. Most of the remaining mutants are in San Francisco at this point, and they are put on lockdown pretty quickly by the invading force.
This book actually provides a greater sense of the scale of the invasion than the main book did, in part because of the unique artwork of Cory Nord, MA Sepulveda, and Dave McCraig. Im unfamiliar with these artists, but I’ll have to keep an eye out for more from them. Their work could be a little too exaggerated at times for some, but I actually prefer it over the stiff artwork of the main book.
The story is more than just a simple tie-in as well. Cyclops and team are put into a pretty dire situation, and the strategy they resort to is one of heavy consequences. Unfortunately, I read a lot of X-Men from this era and I do not recall the decisions made here really being referenced in other book. Because of that, I do wish there was a little more of a coda or maybe some more internal narration of the characters grapple with the situation.
December 8, 2023
I was reading New Avengers for some reason and got up to the Secret Invasion storyline and said, “Hey, I have the Mavel Unlimited app, why don’t I just read the entire Secret Invasion storyline? I’d be really interested because I know that the MCU is going to come out with a movie pretty soon.” Great idea, right?
Ugh, that thing is 99 issues long and just starts to d r a g in the middle as Marvel tried to cash in by incorporating as many titles as possible. But I was committed, and I read every single issue. Was it worth it? Absolutely not. Am I glad I read it? I’m not sad, but I wish that Marvel had done a better job writing with concise storytelling. Or that I had not made the decision to read the whole blamed thing.
But, you know, in for a penny, and for a pound. And it’s red and I will never have to read it again and I can enjoy the movie when it comes out. So I’m just going to copy and paste this review in every single trade paperback that contains the secret invasion, storyline and call it a day.
if anyone reads this review, I recommend you just read the essential story itself without all of the side issues.
Ugh, that thing is 99 issues long and just starts to d r a g in the middle as Marvel tried to cash in by incorporating as many titles as possible. But I was committed, and I read every single issue. Was it worth it? Absolutely not. Am I glad I read it? I’m not sad, but I wish that Marvel had done a better job writing with concise storytelling. Or that I had not made the decision to read the whole blamed thing.
But, you know, in for a penny, and for a pound. And it’s red and I will never have to read it again and I can enjoy the movie when it comes out. So I’m just going to copy and paste this review in every single trade paperback that contains the secret invasion, storyline and call it a day.
if anyone reads this review, I recommend you just read the essential story itself without all of the side issues.
October 23, 2019
After coming off the high from the Black Panther Secret Invasion tie-in, this one was extra disappointing. It's really not a comic designed for someone to drop in--many characters aren't introduced or the plot isn't explained. I have some background knowledge to the X-Men, but not being a hardcore fan, this was hard to follow. I also found it highly unlikely that the Skrulls had no idea that the X-Men would be a presence to deal with and there weren't any sleeper agents. It just felt off considering the other texts. The best part was Emma Frost battling it out with the wall. I just wish there was more here.
For: fans of superheroes/comics; readers wanting a comic with a focus on war strategy.
Possible red flags: manipulation; characters in peril; violence; blood; death; invasion/colonialism; war imagery.
For: fans of superheroes/comics; readers wanting a comic with a focus on war strategy.
Possible red flags: manipulation; characters in peril; violence; blood; death; invasion/colonialism; war imagery.
March 15, 2020
Lotsa action and color. No moping about in this one. It's pretty much a battle between X-men and Skrulls over the streets of San Francisco. One thing I'm learning about the X-Men as I read everything I can get my hands on, is they always seem to have new characters popping up in every damn book near. Ha! Anyway nothing overly brilliant artwise, proficient but great use of color like I said before. The book ends w/a re-issue of Fantastic Four #250 written and drawn by John Byrne published originally in 1982 and it's a humdinger. Spider-Man and Captain America make cameos as well as four "X-Men," Cyclops, Storm, Big Metal Russian Guy and Nightcrawler. Terrifically drawn and brightly colored and fast-paced 80's comix action. I think I might give this book 4 stars overall for the five star re-issue that bookends this tpb. Thank you very much.
January 7, 2023
My favourite secret Invasion tie-ins tend to be the ones that tell a completely different story, rather than the main story from different characters' perspectives and this short, four issue volume deals entirely with the Skrulls' attack on San Francisco and the X-Men's fight to stop them. Writer Mike Carey covers events from both sides, creates a high stakes stand-off and difficult ethical choices for X-Men leader Cyclops. It's just good storytelling, with plenty of action, even if I wasn't entirely sold on some of the volume's variable artwork (quite liked the watercolour style of the fourth issue but it was a jarring change).
February 16, 2018
Completely forgettable, of no real consequence, and doesn't even really engage with its central question - whether it's okay to commit genocide in wartime (the real answer is of course not, but the comic's is "sure, because the bad guys are bad"). But man, that art is real nice - it's this very strange, murky use of flat pastels. Not enough to forgive its storytelling shortcomings, but enough to eke some enjoyment out of it.
October 29, 2018
I don't know what it is about X-men, but they often have a way of making everything very epic, it never seems to be "Villain X has a diabolical plan to rob a bank and buy himself an island", it's always more like "One of us must give up his very soul to prevent the world from being destroyed, who will it be?"
So pretty good stuff. Lots of tension and loved the Skrull "mentalist commune" or whatever it was called.
So pretty good stuff. Lots of tension and loved the Skrull "mentalist commune" or whatever it was called.
February 22, 2022
"Secret Invasion: X-Men" was a solid graphic novel; not being as up on that era's X-Men I was a little confused on some of the characters and could have used a Dramatis Personae but this is a good example of how to have a cohesive plot even in the midst of a much larger storyline, which I appreciated as sometimes these "side" volumes are nonsense without the bigger picture. Not the most complex story but it worked. Emma Frost mentally dueling the Skrull telepaths was my favorite part.
July 11, 2024
This was a decent read, but the real question is why is FF #250 included here? Sure, it is a Skrull story, but I would have rather seen this mini and the Spider-Man Secret Invasion mini collected together in one trade. Maybe they could have called it Secret Invasion Companion or whatnot? The FF issue was collected in the Byrne Visionaries line some time ago, so it seems pointless to include it here, especially when it is superior to the marquee issues in the book!
August 3, 2021
Earth is invaded by the Skralls. They were initially unprepared for the X-men, but unfortunately, they have plan B and Celebra and Scott are the focus.
At the back of the book is a Fantastic Four story with Spiderman, Captain America and the X-men: ‘X-Factor’.
Fave scenes: tissue sample delivered and Celebra beating the thought-wall.
At the back of the book is a Fantastic Four story with Spiderman, Captain America and the X-men: ‘X-Factor’.
Fave scenes: tissue sample delivered and Celebra beating the thought-wall.
April 25, 2022
Actual thought this was a very good Secret Invasion book. Focusing on San Francisco and the fights that take place and saving 50,000 people from the Skrulls.
The fact that the Legacy Virus was used and that Cyclops made a hard decision to expose the Skrulls to a rapid death.
A good story and strong characters both Skrulls and X-Men.
The fact that the Legacy Virus was used and that Cyclops made a hard decision to expose the Skrulls to a rapid death.
A good story and strong characters both Skrulls and X-Men.
August 9, 2022
The X-Men do a genocide.
September 10, 2022
The only thing that saves this cash grab is the inclusion of Fantastic Four issue 250. John Byrne's FF is really him at the peak of his powers.
August 12, 2024
cute quick read
September 11, 2024
A pretty inconsequential side-story to the Secret Invasion event that almost lost me entirely, but the final bit with the Skrull virus made the ending somewhat cool at least. Very skipable though.
December 30, 2018
The art in this was simply incredible. Just an absolute treat to pour over.
And, I like Carey. I first discovered him years ago when he took over the duties on Hellblazer. He won me over, and I generally enjoy him.
His run on X-Men has not been good. It's a pedestrian arc that has no sizzle and feels vacant.
Did he do it for a paycheque? Was it just a poor fit for him?
I can't say, but this is mostly uneventful and feels like a story from 1993.
And, I like Carey. I first discovered him years ago when he took over the duties on Hellblazer. He won me over, and I generally enjoy him.
His run on X-Men has not been good. It's a pedestrian arc that has no sizzle and feels vacant.
Did he do it for a paycheque? Was it just a poor fit for him?
I can't say, but this is mostly uneventful and feels like a story from 1993.
August 24, 2025
Most times that the X-Men are forced into a major event, their tie-in title is uninspired and serves to advance neither the main story nor their own continuity. This one fares a little better, as we get the X-Men, who have just moved to San Francisco, making some headway to being liked by the populace at large.
There aren't many character beats, as the character who gets the most screen time is Nightcrawler, and it's mainly so that he can inadvertantly expose a weakness to Beast.
The ending is a little too clean, and I'm not sure that Dave McCaig's colors are the best match for a story that's mostly action. It flattens the art into an atmosphere usually reserved for fantasy comics. But it's certainly done well for what it is.
Most of the Secret Invasion titles were telling the same main story from slightly different perspectives, and they all felt fairly generic. The fact that this book doesn't involve any Skrull infiltration amongst the team makes this stand out a bit.
Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I remember enjoying it when it came out. I'd recommend it for X-fans who enjoy it when they throw pretty much every character at a problem without ever really dwelling on any of their character beats.
There aren't many character beats, as the character who gets the most screen time is Nightcrawler, and it's mainly so that he can inadvertantly expose a weakness to Beast.
The ending is a little too clean, and I'm not sure that Dave McCaig's colors are the best match for a story that's mostly action. It flattens the art into an atmosphere usually reserved for fantasy comics. But it's certainly done well for what it is.
Most of the Secret Invasion titles were telling the same main story from slightly different perspectives, and they all felt fairly generic. The fact that this book doesn't involve any Skrull infiltration amongst the team makes this stand out a bit.
Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I remember enjoying it when it came out. I'd recommend it for X-fans who enjoy it when they throw pretty much every character at a problem without ever really dwelling on any of their character beats.
June 10, 2012
I am not a Secret Invasion fan, but Carey makes this volume more fun than I expected. He shows the same feel for established characters that he shows for his own characters in Unwritten over at Vertigo for DC. While Unwritten is an instant classic, this one suffers from being part of Secret Invasion. Marvel's incessant big stories are all blurring together for me, at least Carey makes his segment worth the attention. My one complaint (that was something he controlled) was the time spent on the Nightcrawler finds a Skrull bible plotline, which took up a lot of space, affected nothing else in the book and just seemed to go nowhere. ppptttthhhbbbttt. Otherwise an okay book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews